EUROPE WINE

EUROPE IS–   Countries- 44

  • WHITE=   |   RED= “Almost Everything”
    • **Refer to “COUNTIES/ Sub-Chapters” For Varietal Information.

GEOGRAPHY– HEMISPHERE-Northern, CONTINENT-Europe, LATITUDE: 36°- 63° ‘N’

  • Regions- Western Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, Balkan Peninsula, The Caucus
  • Countries- (Wine Producing)
    • Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Spain, Ukraine, Wales
  • Europe Countries Not Demystified Yet/ Not Producing Significant Wine.
    • Andorra, Denmark, Estonia, Findland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Sweden

TOPOGRAPHY– “Flat, Rolling, Hilly/ Mountainous/ Valley/ Terraces/ Plateau”

CLIMATE– “Atlantic/ Oceanic”, “Mediterranean”, “Continental”

SOILS– “Metamorphic”, “Volcanic”, “Sedimentary”

  • GEOGRAPHIC DISCLAIMER~ “To Understand the Wine World and Benefit From DtheV.com a Understanding of Old World’s Geography is Needed and the Ability to Visualize Its Wine Regions Topography.  Old World is Organized In a North to South / East to West Orientation and Intended to Be Researched and Memorized as So.”
  • DEMYSTIFYING PROCEDURE~  ~Try to Visualizing the Wine Worlds Geography In Your Mind.~
    • “To Truly Become a Geography & Topography Master, Visualization of Maps While Closing Your Eyes is a Must.  Practice by Studying a Map of the Bordeaux.  Close Your Eyes and Visualize the Orientation of the Rivers, Surrounding Mountains Sub-Zones and the AOC.’s That Fill It Out.”

OLD WORLD vs. NEW WORLD

OLD WORLD– Refers Primarily to Wine Produced In Europe But Can Also Include Other Regions of the Mediterranean Basin With Long Histories of Winemaking Such as North Africa and the Middle East. Originally New World Was Called So Because British, Spanish and Portuguese Colonist  Would Head Off Into the “New World” by Boat to Explore New Lands/ Worlds.

  • VINICULTURE– Grapes Possess Complex Characteristic But Struggle to Achieve Brix and Full Ripening Before Inclement Weather.  Old World Wines Are Generally: -Body, –ABV., +Acid
  • CLIMATE- Old World is Generally Cooler Which Leads to “Terroir-Driven” Earthier, Herb, Mineral, Less Aromatics.
    • Old World Wines Seem to Be Unchanged In an Effort to Keep Style to One That is or Was Popular.

NEW WORLD– Refers to Countries Colonized by Western Europe and Regions That Are New to Wine Production. New World Wine Regions Adopted the Successful Ideas From the Old World and Expanded On Them. The New World Has Come to Represent a New Wave of Fruit Driven Wine Style Using a More Modern Wine Making Techniques From a Generally Warmer Climate.

  • VINICULTURE– Grapes Struggle to Achieve Complexed Characteristics Before Grapes Accumulate Brix +Ripen.  Generally- +Body, +ABV., -Acid
  • CLIMATE– New World is Generally Warmer Which Leads to “Fruits Forward” Wines Which Posses: +Ripening, +Sugar and +ABV.
  • WINE & PHILOSOPHY?  “Can You Smell the Difference In Old World/ New World Wines?”
    • “There Are General Differences and Attributes Between Old World/ New World Wines That Can Be Smell by Educated Wine Evaluators.”

The NEW-OLD WORLD & The OLD-NEW WORLD

  • The “Old World” is Becoming New While the “New World” is Becoming Old.  New Countries From the Old World Such as Norway, England and Ireland Are Now Starting to Produce Wine and Starting Wine Cultures Becoming the New-Old World. Also Presently Much of the Old World is Copying the “New World” Techniques, and the “New World” is Adopting More of the Old Worlds Techniques and Traditions.

The GREAT EUROPEAN VINEYARD REPLANT

  • After the Phylloxera Outbreak Across Europe In the Late 1800’s Grape Growers Started to Replant Their Vineyards With Vines Grafted to American Rootstock.  While This New Grafting Technique Fixed the Problem of Phylloxera it Inadvertently Lead to Another Issue That Wouldn’t Be Noticed Until a Century Later. These Grape Growers Across Europe Replanted With Varieties That Were the Most Financially Advantageous to Their Wineries Bottom Line.  Instead of Replanting With Their Countries Native Grape Most of Them Decided to Replant With Grape That Where “In Vogue” at the Time, More Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Other Grapes.  Also the Choice of the Day Was to Plant Varieties That Were Less Effected by Disease and Possessed Greater Yields and Were Easier to Grow.  With Out Knowing This Great European Vineyard Replant Was the Start of Lost Diversity In the Vineyards.  Gone Were Some of the Lesser know Varieties That Were Indigenous Only to That Country Were Last Forever.
  • SUB-CHAPTERS Of EUROPE
    • Western Europe
    • Central Europe
    • Balkan Peninsula
    • The Caucasus
    • Russia
    • North Africa
    • Old World-Other
  • **Refer to These Chapters For Detailed Information On The Old World

**Refer to “BIBLIOGRAPHY/ Sources” For Details On Scholarly Works Referenced.